House Judiciary Committee Threatens to Hold Garland in Contempt over Biden Probe Evidence

The House Judiciary Committee has moved forward with a resolution to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. The move comes after the Justice Department failed to hand over the subpoenaed audio recordings of President Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur as part of an investigation into classified records.

The House Judiciary Committee advanced a resolution on Thursday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. The move comes after the Justice Department refused to produce the subpoenaed audio recording of President Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Biden's handling of classified documents.

The White House has asserted executive privilege over the audio and video recordings related to Hur's interviews with Biden. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that "law enforcement files like these need to be protected" and that Biden made his determination at the request of the attorney general.

Hur, who released his report to the public in February after months of investigation, did not recommend criminal charges against Biden for mishandling and retaining classified documents. He stated that he would not bring charges against Biden even if he were not in the Oval Office.

The House Judiciary Committee is concerned about the White House's assertion of executive privilege and believes that the Justice Department is not cooperating with the investigation. Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said that "the Justice Department must turn over Biden probe evidence" and that the committee will "hold the attorney general in contempt of Congress if he does not comply."

Republicans have raised concerns about Biden's handling of classified documents and believe that the audio recordings could reveal whether Biden compromised national security. They are also concerned about Biden's mental fitness and whether he is capable of handling classified information.

Democrats have defended Biden, saying that he did not intentionally mishandle classified documents and that the situation is not comparable to the investigation into former President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents.

The House Judiciary Committee's investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents is ongoing. The committee is expected to vote on the resolution to hold Garland in contempt of Congress in the coming weeks.

If the House votes to hold Garland in contempt of Congress, he could face fines or imprisonment. However, it is unlikely that such a move would be successful, as such resolutions are rarely enforced.

The investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents could have implications for his 2024 re-election campaign. Republicans are likely to use the issue to criticize Biden and argue that he is unfit to serve as president.